meeting people with the same interest

Hi!
My husband and I moved to Portland, Oregon last June from Phoenix, Arizona. I loved it here, from the first time, when I saw it a year before moving, on my vacation trip over here. I love gardening and birds and I wanna make friends with people of same interest, so I would be able to get out of the house more often...which is actualy.....now seldom. Its no fun to go birdwatching on your own...feels to lonely.My husband goes on trips with me, but he is a guy..if you know what i mean..and i need some girls time.... Right now Im diggin in my yard and planting stuff. Do we have some garden people meetings somewhere?? Also I did looked on the map to decide , which zone Portland belongs to and i cant decide, is it 9b ??. Sorry for my not perfect anglish, I was born and raised in Europe, and my friend sugested, that I mention that, "so people will not think, You are some hillbilly, cause Your writting, You know, its not so gooood!!!!!!!"

Welcome Birdscrazy. You will meet many people here to get out and do with. Just start to watch threads of your interest. Here is one. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/384337/

Hey welcome to the northwest! sorry I don't live closer to Portland. I'm a birdwatcher, too. Portland is a great city. I hope you like it there.

Welcome! I'm a transplant too. I'm sure you'll find friends to share with soon.

Welcome! I too am a transplant, but a reverse one. We moved here to Idaho from Oregon.

Take care,
Zazzy

Welcome birdcrazy, I love watching the birds too - in fact I'm always sitting on our deck taking pictures of them. I must admit I've never gone looking for places to find them. Sounds like fun! Maybe my camera and I can head your way and we can find some Portland 'bird hangouts' sometime. I was there not too long ago (I'm less than an hour from you) and purchased some vintage linens from a lady - also from Europe. This little guy was sooooooo cute all ruffled up from his bath. Him and his lady friend spent a lot of time in our yard last summer - hope they come back!

Hi guyes!!

Thank You for the replyes. Im so glad my friend told me about this web site. I spend last night on reading all the posts, to get familiar with , who, what, where...its so fun. And i learn a lot about the new plants, cause i was googling right after a "new " plant for me pup -up somewhere in the posts..Its great site..O my gosh!!!!!!!!! msantique...what a cute he is..I had to look up in book to find a name for it : western tanager..cause I never saw it in the nature this hansome guy...lol.If You will be heading in Portland direction let me know, so we can go some places to do bird watching, I would love that. I dont know a lot of the places yet, but i went to one i just love, actually i was drowing there a lots of times, so many different species, to see it there ,its actualy in Washington across the river from Portland RIDGEFIELD WILDLIFE RESCUE, just behind Vancouver . The other i went to is BOTTOM OAKS PARK. Those two places I know, but is so many, many more of them here.... Guyes I have 2 hyacinth`s I have purchased in sotre, and Im thinking to plant the bulbs, after the leaves will die, but I never did it before, do I have enough info, ?? after leaves will die .. what else I shoud know?? And when?/ right after means few weeks, shoudnt I plant bulbs in the fall?? Also one more pic of the birdies...lol

Hi birdscrazy, Sorry I can't help with the hyacinth question - I have a couple but haven't done anything with them. I'm sure someone will jump in and have an answer for you though. Your baby birds are sooooo cute. Looks like they nested in a light fixture? We had them do that on our front porch. My husband wanted to move them but no I insisted they had to stay right there so I could watch them out my window over the kitchen sink from hatching to flying. And I did. But boy did we pay for it later - after they were gone he went out to take down the nest and had to use gloves and wear a long sleeved shirt as the nest was infested with fleas from them. They were so cute but the fleas being so close to the door got into the house, on the dog and everywhere. A really fun job getting rid of them! You're right that's what the little guy is! For some reason after looking at my bird book I thought he was a Warbler and he doesn't even look like one. But that's my 17 second memory for ya - closed the book and promptly forgot what I had read! Here's a picture of him taking the bath. I'll let you know when I'm going to be heading your way and we'll go find some birds. I'll bring my book, camera and probably a tablet so I can write down what I've taken pictures of and not have to rely on this superduper memory of mine!

I love the bird pictures! That last one is a great "action shot"!
I had some hyacinths from the grocery store too. I cut the flowers off once they were past thier prime and planted them outside green leaves and all. It's been about a month now and they look perky. I'm just letting the leaves get some sun to store energy for next year. I'd give it a try birdscrazy, not much to loose.
Where are you from?

Happy gardening!

This message was edited Apr 13, 2006 6:24 PM

Msantique: Sounds good!!!!! bird watching that is You can Demail me or what ever, when You will be good and ready for it.... This pic is so lovely too.. You are so lucky...well he is too! ..lol. I hope You will get them back this year, You should...Me on another hand...well i have a tons of crows, taking bath and food from my front and backyard. Thats the pic of them. They got so use to me putting fod out, they coming out around 8:00 every morning. Sometimes, when im working in the garden, some of them are just sitting on the wires, above my head and we are ... "talking"... back and forh.. Actually Im repeatting, what ever they are saying...and everybody can guess at this point, what they are saying...lol something like..."hej our dish is empty over there..." Its fun for me. Then i have jayes coming for peanuts, which actually are competting with the squirrels, but squirrels are coming for the peanuts to my hand, where blue jayes (well scrub and steller`s ) fly to the table, some times i may even be sitting by it same time..or I may wistle and they will come...took me so many months to "teach" everybody ..."proper behavior " ...over here...LOL I love my backyard birds . My memory is also something I wish to have " better"..lol so dont you worry..> Mockorange...I just planted two bushes, which i learned about, once we moved over here.. they suppostu smell like orange trees...(i love memory of orange trees sending their sent.) ,.. white flowers. Im from Poland..originaly, I spend 13 years in Arizona...what a waste of time...and water..lol Im so glad we did make decision to move to Portland...Thank You for the hyacinths info..I will just do , what You did and thats that..lol

Welcome birdscrazy, Portland is near to so many many wonderful gardens to visit this spring from roses to tulips to irises. You will love it. I would love to learn more about attracting different kinds of birds to my garden. Joann

Hi Lenjo !!

Yes, I was thinking I will come up with some list of plants , which will atract the different birds and do the post about that. What I will need will be some pics, of plants which will do. I got so many of them my self. I guess i will do the pics and then will post them, but first i have to finish digging for those 6 pyracanthas i purchased. Actually, there you go..pyracantha will atract for you a lot of birds, that is why im diggin over here..lol > the red berries are good food source and the bush its self gonna be atractive retrive site also nesting site for small birds..Later ..(pic of pyracanta "graber`s" , fast grower : 10 to 12 ft. tall, 8 to 10 ft wide, red berries in fall, spring flowers , white in color small of no importance.Outstanding espalier, windbreak)

Pyracanthas are definitely on my want list and there is beautiful orange berried one too , I believe.

Wow I love that! Do ya think those berries are fish frindly? so If I put one buy my pond it would be safe?
Debbie

Hi Debbie!!!

I dont know if they are fish safe..i would check that with some one . Sorry took me so many dayes to , unswer ...I m busy -bee. diggin around my front and back yards...lol

WoW! Birdscrazy that Pyracantha is great. I think I've seen one spread all over the back of a building nearby. What kinds of birds does it attract? I think your list will be great and very helpful! And aren't you the lucky one to get squirrels eating out of your hand. The closest I've managed is to put a big bowl outside the deck door so they would get right down in it and I could get some cute poses on the camcorder. Worked too! We also have the Stellars, don't get the really beautiful blue birds that are down lower but I'd love to. Are scrubs the cute gray jays with the big fuzzy looking heads? My husband says they are so friendly and he has a picture of one sitting on one of the guys napping at camp when they went on a fishing trip. I talk to them all the time when feeding them. Here's one with his mouth stuffed just as full as he could possibly get it!

Hi msantique !!

I think, this one is gray jay. I will post a pic of the scrub jay and then one of the stellers. Your pic is incredible..wow..the birds you can see there.., good for you!!LOL

okey so the one above is the scrub jay..now i will send the steller`s jay..hold on...

Debbie, planting any deciduous shrub or tree near your pond is not an especially good idea because when they shed their leaves in fall it will make a mess in your pool. Conifers creat less of a mess by or in your pool.

For birds one of the best shrubs are the Elderberries. I have planted 6 different ones around my garden. The one the birds like the best and eat the quickest is the elderberry that is native to this area. Another shrub is the Amelancheir or Service berry. I have two in my yard and I never get to eat one because the birds eat them before ripe.

birdcrazy have you perused the Wildlife forum. Lots of bird talk there.

DonnaS

Birdcrazy ~~

I am glad to 'meet' you!! And as I live about 15 minutes from the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge I have been there often, and love it!! I am including a link for you that shows many other areas that are GREAT for birdwatching! Many are as close as Ridgefield, maybe closer....let me know what you think - maybe we can get together and explore some of them!!
http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/

Happy Birding!
Jamie

This message was edited Apr 20, 2006 12:57 AM

Hi Jamie1!

Link is great, thanks a lot. Get together and bird watching or planting for that matter, ...LOL, sounds great..any time. D-email me , when you feel like doing anything, like the above. I need advise on something also..anybody..will hummingbirds, go for those flowers???.